MX23RW : Monday, May 31 05:38:46| >> :120:41951:41951:

Lee Johnson prepared to work around possible Bailey Wright absence

Lee Johnson prepared to work around possible Bailey Wright absence
© Reuters
The Black Cats face Lincoln is the semi-finals this week.

Bailey Wright is having to deal with expectancy of two fronts as he prepares to play his part in Sunderland's bid for Sky Bet League One play-off glory.

The defender is due to become a father on the day of the final, leaving the Black Cats making plans for their two-legged semi-final showdown with Lincoln knowing the 28-year-old could be called away at any time.

Wright's situation is one of a series of selection dilemmas facing head coach Lee Johnson as he attempts to end the club's three-year exile in the third tier of English football.

Asked about the process of finalising his team ahead of Wednesday's first leg trip the the LNER Stadium, Johnson said with a smile: "If only you knew! I could probably make a movie out of the last 12 or 13 games. It's almost like a game of Boggle – eventually it settles.

"You're always conscious not to show your hand too early as a football manager because you can get little knocks and niggles, or poor form or attitude errors all the way building up into the week.

"You have to remember they are all human beings with partners and families. Bailey Wright's wife is due to give birth on the day of the play-off final.

"Obviously, leading up to it with the Lincoln games, there's a potential that the baby may well come early.

"The due date is bang on point for the play-off final day, so there's a lot of logistics that we're having to go through to make sure that we still get Bailey Wright, but also that Bailey Wright still gets to see his baby if we get to that point."

Wright has made 38 appearances so far this season, seven of them in the final seven games of the campaign following his return from a calf injury.

ID:447925: cacheID:447925:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2676:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
General view of Lincoln City's Sincil Bank from 2017
Read Next:
Lincoln's clash with MK Dons called off due to coronavirus cases
>

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CHull City462781180384289
4Sunderland462017970422877
5Lincoln CityLincoln4622111369501977
6Oxford UnitedOxford Utd462281677562174
7Charlton AthleticCharlton4620141270561474
8Portsmouth462191665511472
9Ipswich TownIpswich461912154646069
10Gillingham461910176360367
11Accrington StanleyAccrington461813156368-567
12Crewe AlexandraCrewe461812165661-566
13MK Dons461811176462265
14Doncaster RoversDoncaster46197206367-464
15Fleetwood TownFleetwood461612184946360
16Burton Albion461512196173-1257
17Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury461315185057-754
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth461411215380-2753
19AFC Wimbledon461215195470-1651
20Wigan AthleticWigan46139245477-2348
RRochdale461114216178-1747
RNorthampton TownNorthampton461112234167-2645
RSwindon TownSwindon46134295589-3443
RBristol Rovers46108284070-3038

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!